http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org Thoughts from Jordan School District's Superintentent Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:25:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With all the federal stimulus dollars, why don't I feel very stimulated? Education in Utah received $293 million last year from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The State had three years to expend these funds.  The State decided to use all the funds this year to "back fill" much ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/11/what-are-stimulus-dollars-stimulating/ We receive a lot of questions about the H1N1 flu. Health officials repeatedly tell us the swine flu is coming and we need to be ready. We have a District H1N1 Flu Task Force made up of the administrative cabinet, Lisa Robinson (oversees nursing services), Melinda Colton (Director of Communications), ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/09/preparing-for-h1n1/ It's very nice to be back and into a new school year.  The summer has been filled with many activities and charged with lots of excitement, emotion, and many difficult decisions.  You, our employees, make all the difference in the world and repeatedly demonstrate why people love to live and ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/09/education-funding-outlook/ Our new logo is unveiled. We hope you like it. I feel it very effectively communicates our rich history, our confidence in moving forward, and the essential elements of our mission as a District - to lead, educate, and inspire. The beginning of this next year is especially ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/06/our-new-look/ This week employees of the remaining District will receive an e-mail each day giving clues about our new logo.  Our logo, tagline and newly-designed Web site will be unveiled on Monday, June 1.  We invite you to answer a series of trivia questions to see how much you know about ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/05/clues-about-our-new-logo/ Another phase in developing the District budget for next year has taken place. Preliminary results from a Dan Jones & Associates survey indicated preferences of patrons in meeting our budget deficits (watch for a more complete report of the results to be available in about two weeks). Patrons rank-ordered their preferences for ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/05/more-on-the-budget/ Swine Flu: The alerts have elevated.  The Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) has starting using the words "pandemic" and "imminent."  We are literally watching and acting minute by minute with our responses.  Everyone needs to follow the precautionary recommendations given by the State Health Department and the CDC.  Official information and direction will ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/04/todays-news/ We have entered a season of significant events.  Between now and June, the Board of Education will prepare next year's budget, we will enter into negotiations with employee groups, and the class of 2009 will graduate on June 4.   Employee negotiations begin next month.  Preparation of next year's District budget is already in full ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/04/a-challenging-season/ Many employees of Jordan School District knew and worked with Superintendent Raymond Whittenburg.   I was one of them.  He passed away on Wednesday, April 1, from cancer.  He retired 13 years ago, but his influence on our District and our individual lives continues today.  I knew and worked with Raymond ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/04/a-man-i-admire/ Wednesday (March 18)  was a particularly important day for Jordan School District.  The decision of the Arbitration Panel was released.  This decision launches us to a new level in the process of being prepared as a District for the 2009-10 school year.  There's a lot of significant detail and reasoning ... http://barrysblog.jordandistrict.org/2009/03/arbitration-has-positive-conclusion/